Summer camps have been a way for children to connect to Judaism for generations. Camp is not just a place to go over the summer. It is the place where children make lifelong friendships, learn a lot about themselves, and (if it’s a Jewish camp) they connect to Judaism in a unique way. We both have had positive camp experiences. Marissa went to her local JCC’s day camp for most of her life (from ages 2-10), and Crane Lake Camp for a session when she was 11. She then went on to work at that same JCC camp for 7 years! Amanda’s first camp experience was just last summer when she worked at Eisner Camp in MA. This is the first summer in many that Marissa has not been at camp, and while Amanda has only been to camp for one summer, they are both very saddened by this summer’s severe lack of camp.
For campers and staff, being away from camp is hard. Some camps are still operating (like Marissa’s local JCC’s camp), but many, many camps are not – including all URJ camps. Even if a camp is open, staff and campers may not be comfortable attending this summer. This is a huge bummer. Many camps who are not having in-person sessions this summer are doing online experiences. While these have been super fun so far, they aren’t the same. Instead of contributing to the abundance of articles about how missing camp is awful, we thought we’d share some of our favorite camp tunes that are helping us find some joy in this tough time.
Here are the songs that allow us to feel like it’s summertime forever!
Have any songs you’d like to add? Comment them down below!
Stay safe, wash your hands, and remember, Black Lives Matter.
Amanda & Marissa
